3-year-old who was missing for days says a bear watched over him in North Carolina woods

Searchers found Casey Hathaway on Thursday, two days after he vanished from his grandmother’s yard in North Carolina.

By Sanjana Karanth

A 3-year-old boy who was found alive after having been missing for days told family members that he was busy spending time with a bear.

Casey Hathaway was playing with other children on Tuesday when he vanished from his grandmother’s yard in a rural part of eastern North Carolina. He was found alive two days later from where he disappeared after community search crews received a tip.

Casey’s aunt, Breanna Hathaway, posted Friday on Facebook that her nephew was home, healthy and smiling ― and had quite the tale to relate about his experience.

“He said he hung out with a bear for two days,” Hathaway said.

She was willing to roll with the story, saying, “God sent him a friend to keep him safe. … Miracles do happen.”

In another post, Hathaway said Casey likes to watch “Masha and the Bear,” a show about a girl who lives in the woods with a paternal bear who keeps her safe.

Craven County Sheriff Chip Hughes said at a news conference Thursday that search crews found Casey wet, cold and tangled in vines, but not seriously injured.

He was “a little lethargic, but warm,” when he was found, Hughes told WCTI-TV in an interview. The sheriff said Casey “wanted water and his mom” when he was found.

The boy “didn’t really get into... how he was able to survive,” though he did mention “having a friend in the woods who was a bear,” the sheriff added, without commenting further on that scenario.

There were no signs of abduction, Hughes said.

Read more: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/3-year-old-missing-alive-bear_us_5c4e10e8e4b06ba6d3be269c